M&A Origination Associate

CSC Generation is the AI-native holding company re-engineering omnichannel retail. We acquire iconic brands and transform them with Genesis, our operating platform combining a Data Fabric, Automation Engine, proprietary tools, and shared services to modernize operations, elevate customer experience, and expand margins. With $1B+ in revenue across 13 brands, our portfolio includes Sur La Table, Backcountry, One Kings Lane, and others that serve as real-world innovation labs.

Reports to: Executive Leadership 

Location: Los Angeles, California - Hybrid Required

About the Role

CSC Generation grows through acquisitions, and this role builds the front end of that engine. As Senior Associate, M&A Origination, you will construct the market maps, run the outreach, and open the conversations that turn into completed deals—working directly with senior deal professionals on a small, high-output team.

In your first 6–12 months, success means a functioning origination pipeline you built from scratch: target universes mapped, outreach generating real conversations with owners and advisors, and sourced opportunities moving into active deal processes.

This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility.

What You'll Do

• Build the market maps that drive acquisition strategy—size target markets, identify companies that fit investment criteria, track competitive buyer activity, and produce the target lists and coverage plans the team works against for both new categories and bolt-on acquisitions.
• Develop a defensible point of view on your sectors by conducting primary industry research on market trends, consolidation dynamics, buyer activity, and clearing multiples.
• Build and maintain the target universe that everything else runs on—construct and enrich company profiles, keep ownership and financing detail current, and ensure the team operates from a complete and accurate picture.
• Run outreach at volume and with judgment—open conversations with owners, founders, and management teams before a formal process exists to get CSC in front of businesses early.
• Support coverage of the banker, broker, lender, and advisor network—maintain the relationship map, prepare for meetings, run follow-up, and ensure nothing goes cold.
• Screen inbound and sourced opportunities against investment criteria and build the initial commercial case—market context, seller motivation, indicative valuation, and key risks—so the team can decide quickly whether to engage.
• Stay with opportunities you source as they go live—support the deal team through diligence and deal documents, contributing until close.